Watts From Waves ~ Year 1

Low Impact, Nature Inspired Hydrokinetic Energy Harvester

Have you ever noticed how the Giant Kelp Forest Exhibit at Monterey Bay Aquarium extends three floors vertically up through the water column? The tall marine plant does not stand still but continuously sways back and forth with the surging waves. Yet, it does not harm the sea life swimming happily through it. Mesmerized and inspired by it, I wondered if I could design a buoyant, noiseless, sea life friendly hydrokinetic device that could use the swaying action created by ocean waves to generate clean green energy? My motivation was to contribute towards reducing carbon emissions that are driving climate change.

Planet Earth's health is very important to me. I firmly believe and practice the 5 R’s of zero waste (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover). Last year, while doing a project on Ocean Acidification, I realized that unless we reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, we cannot stop overloading our atmosphere with global warming emissions which are trapping heat, elevating Earth’s temperature and forcing climate change, in addition to causing health concerns, disrupting ecosystems, and bringing about mass extinction of flora and fauna. Hence, my pursuit of harnessing clean green energy from the largest batteries on earth - the Oceans.

Oceans are the Earth’s largest (covering 3/4 of its surface), most concentrated (seawater that is roughly 800 times denser than air), and predictable (tides are caused by the gravitational interaction between the Sun, Moon and Earth’s oceans) reservoirs of energy.

This uninterrupted, renewable, kinetic energy can be used to generate clean electricity. I have built a scaled down model of a hydrokinetic device which uses electromagnetic induction to generate electricity. It has a simple assembly and is built using inexpensive and recycled materials to keep the cost down. It has a low- impact design without any moving parts that could hurt sea-life. And, I have tried to mimic the movements of the Giant Kelp to harness energy from both heave and surge of the waves.

The device was successful in withstanding the battering of the waves produced by a spillover in a pool and produced enough electricity to light a 5mm 1.2 V LED. From doing the experiment I learned that a greater wave amplitude produces more electricity as the length of the stroke of the magnet through the coil is controlled by wave height. And, a shorter wave period produces more electricity as the speed of the magnet through the coil is controlled by wave period. I also realized that a curved fin design can harness the wave movement better to convert it into electricity and a magnet of higher strength will produce more electricity as the density of magnetic field lines being cut with every stroke is more.

I plan to work on a few more designs I have in the pipeline during the Summer. The main aim would be to increase electricity production and test the device in various conditions.